Steven Boone — Rockabye Baby!: Lullaby Renditions of The Flaming Lips

New to the former is Steven Boone’s “Lullaby Renditions of the Flaming Lips.” It is just that: instrumental covers of the Lips catalogue, but played largely on a calming, tinkling vibraphone, and slowed  to a soothing pace that’ll relax even those of us who have mastered the art of not peeing our pants.

As someone who, over the period of the summer of 2006, pacified my feisty, finicky 1-year-old by bouncing him on my knee while “The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song” played on my iTunes, I’m the last person to be shocked that the dream pop of Wayne Coyne and company have been turned into cribside soundtracks. Their songs and babies go together like Coyne and his giant bubble.

This is obvious from moment one. Whereas “Race for the Prize” opened the Lips’ landmark “The Soft Bulletin” with a crashing sprint, it opens here at an ever-so-soft step, yet retaining all its melodic splendor, albeit rendered in the style of a music box. And so it goes with 11 other tracks, including “Fight Test,” “She Don’t Use Jelly,” “Waitin’ for a Superman” and our state’s official rock song, “Do You Realize??”

It’s doubtful the Lips intended for their creations to be supplemented with the occasional hoot of an owl, chirp of birds, or ribbit of a frog (somewhere, Martin Denny smiles), but something tells us they’re totally cool with it.

Like all of the “Rockabye Baby!” releases, adults are prone to enjoy only those covering artists they already like. Repeat value is questionable, unless you have an infant. If you don’t, I can’t recommend whipping one up just to enjoy this disc.

While cradling that tot to sleep, use your free hand to peruse the CD’s booklet, which re-imagines Coyne and his megaphone as a teddy bear, plus includes cutouts of the teddy-ized ringleader with his gigantic fake hands and his coterie of fur-suited minions. —Rod Lott

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